'Chamisa wants to be Prime Minister'

by Staff reporter

07 Oct 2018 at 08:37hrs | Views

MDC Alliance leader Mr Nelson Chamisa has called for an emergency party meeting tomorrow amid indications he plans to push an agenda to fire secretary-general Mr Douglas Mwonzora as part of a broad agenda to solidify his political base, which he believes will give him leverage to negotiate with President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

It is understood Mr Chamisa, who is desperate to avoid sinking into political oblivion, wants to pressure President Mnangagwa into appointing him Prime Minister, instead of taking up a position as the official leader of the opposition.

The latest bid to oust Mr Mwonzora, sources said last week, follows two previous unsuccessful attempts in September.

In both instances, Mr Chamisa struggled to garner the numbers needed to push through his ambitions.

Conversely, it is understand that though Mr Mwonzora does not have the numbers to oust Mr Chamisa, he has enough to cause him problems.

In an interview with The Sunday Mail yesterday, Mr Chamisa's spokesperson Dr Nkululeko Sibanda confirmed tomorrow's meeting, but denied plans to purge Mr Mwonzora and to push for a PM position.

"The president has called for the meeting, yes, but I cannot share the agenda with the Press at this stage because you will be informed of the resolutions of the meeting after it has taken place.

"What I can only say is that the president is strengthening his party and priming all his members so that they can remain in line with the SMART agenda that we seek to deliver," he said.

Opposition sources said all party members who participated in primary polls ahead of the July 30 elections were invited to the meeting so as to be used to advance Mr Chamisa's ambitious.